Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for an advance reader copy of TENDERLY, I AM DEVOURED.

This novel is stunning. Gothic vibes with a chilling atmosphere at its finest. The prose alone is like music, each sentence gorgeously written. Lark returns home suddenly from her boarding school, but mystery shrouds the reason until the time to reveal is just right emotionally, for both the characters and the readers. Soon, we’re introduced to the salt mines, and Therion, the swan god Lark’s hometown prays to. An old bargain struck comes to light—Lark is to be Therion’s bride—but the bond is not solidified causing a chain reaction of events no one could see coming. For readers who love found family, bi representation, emotionally rewarding characterization, mystery, and cults, this now and then timeline novel will captivate your senses in every way possible. You don’t want to miss out on this read.

Tenderly, I Am Devoured is a perfect blend of A Study In Drowning meets A Dowry of Blood. This surprising little stand alone manages to pull off so many unique elements at once, its astounding.

The book centers around Lark, a university student thats come home to find that her family is about to lose everything. Her brothers have long owed money to the nefarious and wealthy Felimath family; who have come to collect in the form of Lark's former childhood friend Alastair. To ensure that her family is saved, she chooses to sacrifice herself to their region's water god, which comes with some unforeseen complexities.

We follow Lark in two timelines, with one being her days at school. and one present timeline. The school arc is emotionally battering, but most certainly entertaining. The present timeline focuses on the aftermath of Lark's sacrifice, and her reconnection with the Felimath children; Alastair and Camille.

The space the novel is set it is a fantasy east coast village, though alternate reality would be more appropriate. While the regional specifics are their own, the technology and societal values fit our world nearly perfectly, and the reader is drawn into a fictional "Maine" costal space where elite universities flourish and sea gods quietly watch over the residents. Like A Study in Drowning, the wet, isolated, lonely seaside town is a character in itself

This is a standalone with truly exceptional characters. Most of the characters do not get a detailed personal backstory, but theres a strong amount of inferring though action that shows us who these mysterious people are. Think "The Secret History". the author does expect you to take time and drink in what exactly you are reading, and follow the character's actions rather than plainly detailing all of their traits in clean cut ways. Ive seen some criticism for this, that some folks felt the character relationships were not believable- however- I felt the burning intensity of those relationships and was completely struck by just how much Lyndall Clipstone can make you experience with a more subtle style.

I wasn't sure what to expect with this book, but based on the plot, and considering all of the romantasy books trying to be beauty and the beast these days, I was worried. Luckily, the book is very grounded, and while Lark's god is a relevant part of the story, this story is almost completely "real world" set, and NOT in fact, focused on such a romance.

This is a 3 person romantic endgame, and the romance is beautiful and sensual, with a lot of show and not tell and deep, intense longing. Depending on the character pairs, the relationships are both slow and fast burns, but the lifelong relationships the characters have and some of the backstory add to the intensity of the romance and make it even more wonderful.

I will go over the romance in detail in my blog, linked at the top of this review.

Tenderly, I Am Devoured is a soap opera gothic that makes no apologies for what it is- focusing primary on intense and all consuming character relationships with a bit of a larger than life and over the top arching secondary plot that is fun, fresh, and engaging to follow. For me, the book turns a lot of knobs that I personally like and executes them very well. I highly recommend this book to dark academia fans looking for something a little more gothic, a little more queer, and a little less self obsessed with its own relationship to bookishness.

Tenderly, I Am Devoured is a genuine gothic to the bone, so of course, it is moody, romantic, and surprisingly sensual.

This was a great read, immediately captivated me and kept me engaged throughout whole time.

The prose is poetic and impressive, and the gothic atmosphere maintained throughout is so engrossing I felt I was there with the characters

Tenderly I am Devoured is a lush and atmospheric read that’s reminiscent of The Last Tale of the Flower Bride and A Study in Drowning. The writing was beautiful and served the story so well in the end.

3.75/5

We follow Lark, our main character who is so full of emotion. I had a love hate relationship with Lark, but I ended up really enjoying some of our side characters. Lark was very naive and just didn’t seem to learn her lesson. She repeatedly was burned but kept forgiving people (one of which literally tried to unalive her and her friends like why would she feel sorry for them???) I just overall wish that Lark was more mature but I’m sure other people had no issues with that aspect.

The premise is interesting, and the story started out strong. However, I found that the middle and end dragged a bit and lost the spark that the beginning had. We had flashbacks in the beginning, but those ended midway through the book. Those flashbacks either needed to be spread out more, or they needed to be wrapped up sooner imo. I also wish that they had more of a purpose, as they were never really revisited in the aftermath. The end specifically did not need to be that long. It felt dragged out to meet a certain page count.

My biggest ick is relationships that we follow. There’s a weird dynamic between brother and sister in this one where they don’t mind “sharing” Lark. It was just a big nope for me, and I wanted Lark to just pick one of them and be done with it all.

Ever since I first had the honor of helping reveal this cover, this book has been on my TBR. So when I got my hands on one of the ARCs, I was stoked. Fast-forward, to 24 hours after finally starting this book, I'm sitting here in awe.

This is the first book by Lyndall Clipstone I've read, and it won't be the last, that's for sure. Reading her acknowledgments and about how this book was born out of depression and an especially hard creative blockade makes the whole atmosphere even more understandable. 

Though it technically is a YA book, it is something for an older audience too. Even with the younger ages of the protagonists, you can't help but feel drawn to them. Lacrimosa Arriscane is a haunting young woman on the hunt to save her brother's livelihood and her childhood home. Being let down one too many times and bearing the consequences has left her aching and raw and so very angry. Turning up at home once again, she's lost. So when she witnesses her brothers in a desperate ritual to appease their Chthonic god Therion to somehow fill their salt mines once again, in hopes of paying back their debts, she chooses her path. 

The price the god wants: is her hand in marriage and for her to join him in the Chthonic realm during the salt seasons each year for the duration of her mortal life. 
She accepts.

What Lark doesn't anticipate is how wrong the ceremony goes. 
With her not being able to join Therion in the chtonic realm she starts to fade from the mortal realm and decides to get help from the only source she can think of: her childhood friend turned foe Alastair Felimath.

He and his sister set out to throw caution to the wind and help her. Between chthonic rituals, salt priests, dark pasts, and in search of her betrothed, Therion, they race against time to save not only the god himself but Lark from fading away forever.

Though the pacing is fast, you get a good glimpse of Lark's past and learn to understand her quite well in every other chapter, which makes the evolution of the romance between each character quite understandable and heartwrenchingly good.

What had me immediately hooked was the gothic setting of this book. Both, Lyndall's prose and her ability at worldbuilding set the scene for a particularly haunting and eerie book. She manages to draw you in with her words and you don't want to let go. This is one of those books, you want to finish in one sitting because you don't want her words to leave you.

The story follows Lacrimosa (Lark) who finds out her brothers made a deal with a chthonic god, and when an outsider intervenes & wrecks havoc she enlists the help of her childhood friends (one of which she had a falling out with).

This book was absolutely beautiful. I was a big fan of the author's writing style—it was descriptive and lyrical.
I really loved the relationship between Lark and her brothers—you can tell they loved each other so much, despite the secrets they kept from her.
The angst between Lark and her ex-friend, Alistair was *chef's kiss* He always loved her, but his father got in the way and it transformed the way he treated Lark. His sister, Camille was part of the trio, but I wasn't too invested in her. I did like how protective and sweet she was with Lark and her brother.

I would recommend this if you're interested in:
bi & poly representation (m/f/f)
family secrets
childhood friends to enemies to lovers
dark academia/cottagecore
sacrifice & loyalty
betrayal
deities

There’s something profoundly delicate and raw in Lyndall Clipstone’s “Tenderly I Am Devoured.” Reading this Aquaman-esque gothic romantasy felt like walking alone in a gallery. Decadent writing, beautiful romantic descriptions, and a story that somehow feels like it’s actually poetry disguised as a novel. There were moments when the manic artistry of the book felt like The Black Swan, and others when I felt like I was in Pirinesi’s domain.

I got a bit tangled up in the romance web, which brought me down slightly from a 5 star, but ultimately, it was a great privilege to read this work of art.

A beautiful, haunting romance that I've come to expect from Clipstone--absolutely loved this! Well-executed with gorgeous world building and incredible revelations.

“Tenderly I Am Devoured” by Lyndall Clipstone is a beautifully written, atmospheric, gothic tale that explores the bounds of human nature & the very essence of the human experience. Clipstone is a master of emotional writing & easily evokes empathy for each MC, as well as a couple side characters. The book is medium paced & it never felt rushed or dragged. There is some fade-to-black spice that felt appropriate for the vibe of the book. I enjoyed the bi-rep & how queerness is a non-issue (& possibly the norm?) in Clipstone’s dreamy seaside town of Vers. The make up of the polycule feels deliberate & is perhaps an allegory to open our minds a bit & not read into things so literally. The whole vibe of the book is a little bit meta & spooky w/ a whole lot of yearning. Overall I enjoyed the book! Clipstone’s love for art shines through in this haunting tale of love & loss, & how each shapes our choices.

Stunning
Poetic
Lyrical
Heartbreaking

No other words

Full link to review: https://vm.tiktok.com/ZGdkrcv8C/

I actually don't know how to rate this book. On the one hand, it's well written, on the other, it was almost too artsy to really be "good." In the acknowledgments the author does mention this book helped her through a dark time, and I can feel that. Not necessarily with the plot or content of the book, but because I can recognize in other people when they are pouring themselves a story and are working through emotions on the page. This book was obviously written with a lot of feeling behind it. I can't fault it.

One thing I will BEG the publisher to do is not list this as YA. While there's nothing spicy on the page necessarily, it skews much too intimate for a YA audience. New Adult or Adult should be the audience, and I have seen it marked on Goodreads as YA. I also think being up front with the very open, polyamorous relationship to readers. Surprising them with this plot point is going to turn off a lot of readers.

I ~devoured~ this book (ha ha) in about 48 hours because I couldn't put it down. I loved the world of Verse and it's gothic pagan vibes. We get a hint of dark academia in flashbacks with folkloric horror in the present storyline. It did feel a bit torn between those two genres for the first half of the book but I didn't mind it too much.

I'm a big fan of magic enacting physical changes on people, which was definitely a recurring theme here. I also loved Alistair and his very Will Turner story (iykyk).

My biggest hangup was the brother/sister pair both being romantic interests and Camille getting far less romantic build up than Alistair, leading to an insta-love feeling that felt even odder given Lark's feelings for her brother. Queerness was very normalized in this world, so perhaps it would have been less jarring if we'd also been able to see other poly romances in-universe.

I think, ideally, the flashbacks should have taken up less space and gotten to the end result of her fallout with Damson sooner. This would have eased some of the genre tension and allowed more space to be given to developing her relationship with Camille.

Overall, this was an addictive gothic romantasy that will definitely have me checking out Clipstone's other books. Thank you to NetGalley and the author for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I’ll be honest, I’ve had this ARC for a few weeks but I for once showed some restraint and waited to read it until I had a fair chunk of time, because I knew that once I started I wouldn’t want to put it down. And that definitely was the case.

I absolutely adore Lyndall Clipstone’s poetic prose. The descriptions are woven with flowers that bloom across the pages.

Lark starts as a lost soul and I loved watching her grow and find herself over the course of the book. Alastair’s character is heartbreaking and compelling. Their story of self-discovery and sacrifice, mixed with Camille’s sweet tenderness, is beautifully told. The horror elements were full of seafoam and saltwater.

The best way I can think to describe this book is a floral gothic. Its descriptions are light and ethereal while its underlying themes drift towards the darker sea so favoured by Alastair.

I would definitely recommend this book to fans of Ava Reid’s A Study in Drowning, or to those who wished Saltburn had chthonic gods!

🦢 Betrothal to a chthonic god (which very Hades & Persephone inspired in its terms)
🦢 Lost & lonely characters
🦢 Floral gothic vibes
🦢 Seafoam romantic horror
🦢 Different planes
🦢 Art & literature
🦢 Complicated family dynamics
🦢 Seaside caves & the lingering taste of saltwater in your mouth

This book has the perfect Gothic setting and atmosphere with just a hint of Spring. The worldbuilding is perfect and dreamy, leaving me feeling as though I myself am steeped in the world they live. And, oh, the characters; Clipstone has a way with her characters that heals my soul and leaves me feeling numb yet in love. Lark, Alastair, and Camille are all flawed young adults who are so real it hurts. Their love is complicated yet beautiful and left me breathless. I am so very impressed with how she built their relationships and trust. And I am unbelievably happy with such beautiful sapphic representation!

Clipstone has made another Gothic masterpiece with a flower-rich atmosphere full of art and history, and Chthonic Gods. I would recommend this to anyone who loves Gothic horror, spring, and beautiful prose.

I haven’t been able to get into this book like I was her others but I’ve enjoyed what I have read. The characters and atmosphere of the book are great, just not what I’m in the mood for at this moment. I will be finishing it after the holidays!

The moody, atmospheric vibes are delicious, but unfortunately, that's all it was for me. The characters were flat, and the plot didn't fit together properly—it felt like the passion between the puzzle pieces of the story were missing.

Huge thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan for an early copy of Tenderly, I am Devoured by Lydia Clipstone in return for an honest review!

As soon as I read ‘for fans of Saltburn’ I knew this book was for me and oh my God, it did not disappoint!

Lydia’s writing style is so perfectly executed with just enough flowery words and details to absolutely pull the reader in. Tenderly, I am Devoured is the perfect gothic romance book. The stakes were high, the characters absolutely fantastic and the world had stunning chthonic elements!

Lark was such a lovely character to follow, she had so much depth and was deeply flawed, which is something I love in books. Tenderly, I am Devoured also had characters I hated (I will not name names) but oh my gosh, I was livid and appalled over some of the things that happened. I was really rooting for Lark and co. the entire book!

Overall, I definitely recommend this book and can’t wait to pick up a physically copy as a trophy! 🖤

Tenderly I Am Devoured by Emily Twombly is a hauntingly atmospheric novel that blurs the lines between reality and myth, love and destruction. The story follows eighteen-year-old Lacrimosa "Lark" Arriscane, who, after being expelled from her prestigious boarding school, returns home to a family on the brink of financial collapse. In a desperate attempt to save them, she agrees to a marriage of convenience to Therion, the god worshipped by her isolated coastal village.

What begins as a seemingly straightforward arrangement quickly spirals into something far darker and more enigmatic. As Lark’s betrothal goes awry, she finds herself mysteriously vanishing from the mortal world, and her only hope lies in seeking the help of Alastair Felimath, the brilliant but arrogant boy who once broke her heart, and his captivating sister, Camille. The trio’s journey through ancient folklore, gods, and ritualistic practices draws Lark deeper into a world where nothing is certain and everything is steeped in danger and desire.

The prose in Tenderly I Am Devoured is as rich and intoxicating as its subject matter. Twombly’s writing feels like a fevered dream—one where you can’t quite tell what is real, what is illusion, and what might be the result of some ancient power at play. The atmosphere is thick with tension, desire, and dread, as Lark’s emotional entanglements with the Felimath siblings deepen and the stakes of her betrothal grow more dangerous. The exploration of Greek-like gods, hedonistic rituals, and the boundaries between the human and divine provides a lush, almost surreal backdrop to Lark’s tragic love story.

While the novel’s pacing can be a bit slow at times, it is entirely fitting for the dreamlike quality of the narrative. Readers will find themselves swept up in the tension and mystery, unsure of what is real and what is the result of the characters’ manipulations and obsessions. Lark’s emotional turmoil and growing connection to Alastair and Camille add layers of complexity to her already complicated existence, and the tension between love, power, and destruction is palpable throughout the book.

Tenderly I Am Devoured is a captivating and darkly lyrical tale that will resonate with fans of intricate, atmospheric fiction. Twombly creates a world where mythology and romance collide in a way that feels both intimate and unsettling. A perfect read for those looking for a novel that feels like a haunting, unpredictable dream—a 4/5 for its rich prose, emotional depth, and its ability to leave readers questioning the boundaries between love and madness.

*Tenderly, I Am Devoured* by Lyndall Clipstone is a dark, atmospheric fantasy that delves into themes of obsession, desire, and the blurred lines between love and destruction. The novel follows its protagonist, who becomes entangled with a mysterious, otherworldly force that both captivates and consumes her. Clipstone’s writing is poetic and haunting, creating a rich, eerie atmosphere that pulls the reader into its world. While the plot is steeped in romance and tension, it also offers an exploration of personal sacrifice and the complexities of relationships. With its lyrical prose and unpredictable twists, the book will appeal to readers who enjoy dark, immersive stories with a touch of supernatural allure.

This one hooked me from the beginning! The plot points were so on brand that you can’t help but devour the book in one setting! The character development and world building were fantastic and I will definitely be recommending!